MATRIX: A force field pattern matching method for mobile robots

Abstract. In this paper we describe a method for localizing and track-ing a mobile robot in the type of field used for RoboCup mid-size soccer robots. Each robot carries an omnidirectional camera which provides a 360 degree view of the robot’s surroundings. The only features that we use for localizing the robot are white lines present on the green carpet. These white lines are easy to find and discriminate – they are not too dependent on the color calibration of the camera. The MATRIX method localizes a robot in a field by testing a grid of hypothetical positions for a best fit to the data. Once localized, tracking the robot from frame to frame, in real time, can be done by combining the odometric data with the MATRIX pattern matching. 1 Mobile Robots Localization Localizing mobile robots in a known environment is easier that localizing robots in a space that has to be explored and mapped first. However, if the sensors used by the robots are noisy or if the computational capabilities of the robot ar